


Happy Camper

by FemslashFetale



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Camping, F/F, Fluff, I don’t know heck about camping, SuperCat Secret Santa, and i haven’t watched s4 so i don’t know who the heckle that is, but anyway, but the other prompt mentioned nia, here ya go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-07-24 22:53:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20022343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FemslashFetale/pseuds/FemslashFetale
Summary: Maybe Kara had simply asked Cat over lunch if she wanted to come with her to the annual Danvers camping trip. Maybe Cat had taken one look at those sweet baby blues, saw the hope in them. Maybe her gaze had drifted down when Kara nervously bit her lip. Maybe her resolve had broken when Kara adjusted her glasses after a few seconds and said softly, somewhat sadly, “Actually, nevermind. I know it’s not your type of thing. I just...thought I’d ask.”“I’ve been doing a lot of things that aren’t my thing lately,” Cat said in a rush. Her heart was beating quickly, far too quickly. “I’d be happy to join you and your family.”





	Happy Camper

**Author's Note:**

  * For [averita](https://archiveofourown.org/users/averita/gifts).



> Whew I posted this like thirty minutes before the deadline I almost didn’t make it like it’s not proofread or anything it’s just out here I hope you guys like especially averita since this is their prompt okay see you next time I write a story like six months from now uwu

Cat wasn’t sure how she’d ended up here. One second she’d been in civilization, enjoying the comforts of air conditioning and plumbing, the next she’d been trekking through the jungle, swatting at bugs that were no doubt trying to transfer all manner of diseases. It was baffling. 

“Ooh, look at that bird!” 

Cat glanced towards the tree Kara was pointing at for only a moment, choosing instead to gaze at the delight and wonder on Kara’s beautiful face. 

Okay. So maybe it wasn’t so baffling. 

Maybe Kara had simply asked Cat over lunch if she wanted to come with her to the annual Danvers camping trip. Maybe Cat had taken one look at those sweet baby blues, saw the hope in them. Maybe her gaze had drifted down when Kara nervously bit her lip. Maybe her resolve had broken when Kara adjusted her glasses after a few seconds and said softly, somewhat sadly, “Actually, nevermind. I know it’s not your type of thing. I just...thought I’d ask.”

“I’ve been doing a lot of things that  _ aren’t _ my thing lately,” Cat said in a rush. Her heart was beating quickly, far too quickly. “I’d be happy to join you and your family.”

Kara’s smile had been blinding. “Great! I’ll tell you all the details.” 

Their food had been paid for and they’d both gone back to their jobs, Kara at CatCo and Cat back to writing her novel at home. It wasn’t until later that night when Kara sent a collection of texts involving an itinerary, a list a supplies and several links to websites with tips for first time campers that Cat realized what she had gotten herself into. 

And it wasn’t until now, as she wrenched her boot out of a decent sized puddle of mud, that she truly regretted her decision. 

“How beautiful,” Mrs. Danvers said softly, looking through the pair of binoculars she had hanging from her neck. 

“What do you think it is,” Alex asked, taking a sip of water from her canteen. 

“My guess would be a bird.”

Alex spit her mouthful of water at Kara who backed away with a yelp. “Ass.”

“Girls, please. Watch your step.” Eliza three a pointed look at Alex. “And your mouths.”

Alex rolled her eyes. “How much further ‘til we reach the campsite?”

Eliza delicately stepped over a fallen branch. “Perhaps another mile.”

Cat suppressed a groan. It seemed they had been walking for one hundred miles. It was hot, things were buzzing around her and she swore she saw eyes gleaming under every bush.  _ Stupid blue eyes, _ she thought.  _ Stupid  _ me.  _ Stupid forest, stupid animals, stupid, stupid,  _ stupid _. _

Kara slowed her walk, falling to where Cat was lagging behind. “Hey. You doing alright?”

The smile Cat forced onto her face felt too wide, too fake. “It’s been an...interesting experience so far. I’m looking forward to the campsite.”

“Oh, yeah, it’s great!” Kara stretched her arms forward and out. “It’s a wide open plain with plenty of space for our tents.”

Cat’s face froze, that too wide smile accompanied now by wide eyes. “Tents?”

“Yup.” Kara lifted the two bags (the two very  _ big _ bags) she was carrying in each hand, first the left, then the right. “Mom and Alex will share one, you and I will share the other.”

“I thought there would be a...cabin of some sort.”

“Nope!” Kara’s grin was genuine and it only made Cat stretch her own face even further. “No cabin. It’s not really camping if you’re not outdoors.”

Cat’s attention was pulled away slightly by the bush in front of her rustling. She eyed it warily. “No, I suppose not.”

“And besides, you can’t see the stars as good from a window.” Kara glanced at Cat briefly before looking forward again, a light blush on her cheeks. “I’m...I’m looking forward to stargazing with you.”

Cat wanted to scream. What was she supposed to do against  _ that _ ?  _ I suppose the same thing I’ve been doing, _ she thought. Cat smiled again, but this time it was softer. It was real. “I’m looking forward to it as well.”

It took them a little over an hour to get to the campsite. Alex made a throwaway comment about them usually getting there in half the time, throwing a pointed look towards Cat. Cat had simply smiled back, the expression far too sweet to be genuine. Alex rolled her eyes, taking one of the tents from Kara and wandering off with her mother trailing behind. 

“So,” Kara said, practically vibrating next to Cat. “What do you think?”

Cat swept her gaze across the campsite. It was a wide open area inside of a perimeter of trees. There wasn’t much to it besides a fire pit surrounded by three logs and-. Oh god. Was that a  _ porta potty _ ? 

“It’s so...spacious.”

“Yeah!” Kara nodded. “That’s part of what I like about camping. In the city you’re so,” she held her hand straight, wiggling it up and down, “stacked on top of each other. Out here you have room to spread out. Room to  _ breathe _ .” And breathe Kara did, with her eyes closed and a contented smile. A deep breath that pushed her chest out just far enough for Cat to notice, before gusting it out noisily. “Right! Let’s set up the tent. Did you watch the video I sent you?”

Cat had not. “Absolutely. But...I wasn’t able to practice much, so you’ll still have to most of the work.”

“That’s no problem.” Kara began walking forward, seeming to aim for a spot near where her mother and sister were already halfway done pitching their tent. “I’ll help you with everything.”

And help Kara did, explaining patiently where rods connected and helping her nail the pegs into the ground. “Are you sure you watched the videos,” she asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Cat cleared her throat softly. “Well, I  _ intended _ to.”

Kara chuckled. “That’s okay, I figured you wouldn’t. I just didn’t want you saying I brought you out here unprepared.”

Part of Cat was stung by being known so well, the other part- the larger part- was a little flattered. “I would never say that.”

“Of course you wouldn’t.” Although Cat had to admit, the tone and look Kara gave was a  _ tad  _ too indulgent for her taste. 

Cat huffed. “What’s next?”

It took them almost twice as long as Alex and Eliza, but eventually their tent was up. Cat looked at with and couldn’t help a small glow of pride. She had built that. It wasn’t quite the same as building a multi-million dollar communications company, but still. And she had built it with Kara, who was giving one of her trademark smiles. 

“Good job!”

Cat felt her cheeks warm slightly. How could you be anything but warm when staring at the sun? “Thank you. I couldn’t have accomplished it without your help.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t know about you, but all of this accomplishment has made me hungry.”

“Everything makes you hungry.”

Cat gasped slightly, whirling around to see Alex carrying wood over to the fire pit that couldn’t have been more than ten feet away. She had forgotten that Kara’s sister and mother were there. She’d too easily gotten wrapped up in their time together, in the gentle laughter when their tent fell over the first time, the approving nods Kara sent her way when she did something, the adorable way Kara’s brow furrowed when she was focusing. Cat had somehow deluded herself into thinking this was some sort of romantic getaway. As if Kara could feel the same way about her. The lunches, the phone calls, the texts; they all combined to give Cat false hope.  _ Maybe _ , they said. Maybe Kara really did have feelings for her. Maybe the time they spent together had more meaning than just boss-employee, mentor-mentee. Maybe it was something between…friends. 

Maybe more than friends. 

“Hey! It’s not my fault I have a fast metabolism!”

Cat blinked, watching as Kara gently pushed Alex. 

“Kara, help Alex with the kindling so I can feed that fast metabolism of yours,” Eliza said, opening a cooler and pulling out a steak. Kara stalked off, sticking her tongue out at her sister on the way. “Cat, do you have any dietary restrictions I should know about?”

Cat shook her head. “No, but thank you for asking.” She stood still, unsure what to do now that Kara wasn’t in her immediate vicinity. 

Eliza patted a spot next to the log she was sitting on. “Come, sit. Alex, why don’t you help your sister?”

“But I already got some wood.”

“Well, go get some more.”

Any further protest was forestalled by a pointed look from Eliza. Finally Alex sighed hugely, wandering vaguely in the direction Kara had headed. 

Eliza sighed. “Sometimes they seem so grown up. Other times it’s like they’ll never mature past sixteen.” 

Cat chuckled. “Gosh, I don’t even want to think about Carter being sixteen.”

Eliza hummed. She pulled a metal sheet and some spices from bag on the ground by her feet. “And where is your son? Is this not the type of trip he’d enjoy?”

“Oh, no, he’d love this.” Cat couldn’t help but smile at the thought of her precious boy. “He’s with his father for the rest of the summer.”

“Oh, I see. I don’t mean to pry.”

“No, it’s alright. I’ll have to see if I can work out a way for him to come next time.”

“Really?” Eliza started to sprinkle spices on the steak she had placed on the sheet. “So I should be expecting you to join us next year?”

Cat blinked. “Well, I mean, uh.” She cleared her throat, glancing in the direction Kara and Alex had ventured. “If Kara invites me again.”

“Why wouldn’t she?”

“To be quite honest, I’m not sure why she invited me this time.”

Eliza raised an eyebrow. “Really? You have no idea?”

It wasn’t often that Cat shrugged. She found the gesture lazy, not just in its execution but in what it communicated. Not only didn’t you know something, but you also didn’t bother to articulate that you didn’t know something. Anyone who shrugged in response to one of her questions received a quick dressing down from her. 

That being said, in the face of Eliza’s question, Cat shrugged. 

“Huh,” Eliza said, staring at Cat with what seemed to be an odd mix of confusion and amusement. “Interesting. Well, I’m sure you’ll find out soon.”

Cat furrowed her brow. “What’s that supposed to-?”

“Moooooom!”

Eliza sighed. “Yes, Alex?”

Alex came stomping out of the brush, pointing an accusing finger at a laughing Kara stumbling behind her. “Kara put a spider down my shirt!”

“I did not!”

“Yes you did!”

Eliza sighed again, though this one didn’t seem as heavy. “Like teenagers all over again.”

The dispute broke up quickly, Kara instructed to apologize even though she “totally didn’t do it”. They put their kindling together and started the fire, cooking a rather delicious dinner of steak and roasted vegetables. Cat was offered wine from the cooler, that was someone still ice cold even though it had spent hours in the Californian summer heat. Kara adjusted her glasses when Cat commented on it, claiming that it just must be a really good cooler. Cat simply raised an eyebrow. 

Right. 

Afterwards had been s’mores which were delightfully gooey and sweet. There had been a moment when Kara had bitten into her first one, chocolate and marshmallow stretching as Kara giggled. The mixture had ended up all over Kara’s mouth, little crumbs of graham crackers sticking as well. 

Cat knew that the s’mores in her hand wouldn’t taste nearly as good as Kara’s mouth. 

The moon was high above their heads by the time everyone felt ready to head to bed. Or, well, to sleeping bag, Cat supposed. 

“We’ll see you guys bright and early for hiking tomorrow,” Alex said, stifling a yawn at the end of her sentence. She waved and started to walk off. “Night.”

Eliza came over, hugging first Kara, then Cat. “Goodnight, you two. Don’t stay up too late.”

“Goodnight, Mom.”

“Have a good rest, Mrs. Danvers.”

“Oh, please, Cat. Call me Eliza. You’re practically family.” The wink Eliza through her was confusing, but she was distracted by Kara coughing in the middle of taking a sip of her wine.

Eliza chuckled softly, offering a final wave as she went over to her tent a ways off. 

Kara and Cat day next to each other silently, the heat of the dying embers of the fire enough to keep them warm through the light breeze. Cat took a deep breath. This was...nice. She would say that it was quiet, but that wasn’t quite true. There were still noises outdoors, just different noises. The call of birds, the rustling of bushes as creatures skittered past, the babbling of a creek of some sort nearby. It was very peaceful. For the first time she wasn’t thinking of all of the dirt around her, or expecting a bear to come barreling out of the brush. She was calm. 

She was almost startled when Kara broke the silence. 

“Cat? Can I show you something.”

Cat looked over at Kara. She was beautiful. There was no denying it. The soft light of the moon and stars seemed to reflect off of her skin, making her glow like some sort of goddess. Cat supposed that was what she was. And Cat was a devoted priestess, more than ready to bow at whatever alter Kara demanded. “Of course you can.”

“It requires us to lay on the ground. Is that okay?”

She’d get dirt and leaves in her hair, her pants would have grass stains, it would smell horrible, there was nowhere she could take a shower afterwards, a bug would probably crawl into her ear and lay eggs-.

“That’s okay.”

Kara’s soft smile was worth being an incubator for insect eggs. 

They stood up, walking a few paces away from the logs. They sat down next to each other. 

“No lay down and look up.”

Cat wasn’t sure if she could do that. She was too captivated by Kara. But as she laid down she managed to tear her gaze away. There was something different about Kara, about this moment. Something important. So as she heard the grass rustle against her hair as she rested it there she looked up. 

She gasped. “Oh, my….”

It was gorgeous. Thousands upon thousands of twinkling lights suspended against an inky black sky. She had never seen the stars shine so brightly or so beautifully. For nearly fifty years Cat had looked at the night sky, but she never knew it could look like this.

“When I first moved in with the Danvers,” Kara began softly, “I would climb onto the roof and look at the stars. Sometimes it would make me feel better, but not always. They look so different on this planet.”

Cat couldn’t suppress a sharp intake of breath. “Kara, you don’t have to….it’s okay.”

Kara rolled onto her side. Car turned her head, immediately captivated by those eyes. The eyes that had been her downfall from the very beginning. Kara reached out her hand, laying it on Cat’s face gently. She leaned forward, pressing her mouth against Cat’s for the briefest of moments. If Cat has not been hyper aware of Kara’s proximity to her she might have missed it. Might have missed the lingering taste of wine and chocolate on her lips. Might have missed the softness of the hand on her cheek. Might have missed the tender look in Kara’s eyes. Might have missed the next words out of the mouth she couldn’t stop staring at now. 

“I want to tell you, Cat. So we can move forward. That is, if you want to.”

If she wanted to? If she wanted to be with this amazing woman, this god amongst men, this beautiful, kind, thoughtful, caring, heroic, shy, sensitive, selfless,  _ beautiful _ -.

If she  _ wanted _ to?

Cat surged forward, her kiss stronger, harder than the one she received earlier. She pulled back after a few far too short moments. “What were the stars like there?”

The smile on Kara’s face was brighter than any star. “They were beautiful.” She rolled onto her back again, reaching up to trace constellations with her fingers. “All of Krypton was beautiful.”

They laid next to each other all night, Kara telling story after story of her home planet, her people, her family. It was all very bittersweet, Kara smiling through her tears. Cat shifted closer, draping her arms across Kara’s waist and tucking her head under Kara’s chin as Kara continued her stories. 

That was the position Eliza found them in when she woke up the next day. She smiled. Oh, yes. Cat was part of the family now. 


End file.
